The streets of Colaba

This is one place in Mumbai where you can spend a whole day exploring by foot

In the heart of touristy Colaba, locals skip the security blockaded Apollo Bunder Road and the crowded Colaba Causeway and take a quieter road parallel to both. Sandwiched between these better-known roads is Merewether Road, where I park and walk to all the nooks and corners that make up Colaba.

Named after a former director of the Bombay Port Trust, Merewether Road has reason enough to linger under the canopy of ancient trees. The apartments off it are hidden gems. Lofty ceilings and wrap-around balconies, spectacular views of the Taj Hotel dome or the harbor are to be had.

Starting at the Taj, the rear of the hotel occupies a huge chunk of the street. An unsubstantiated claim that the hotel was built back to front is untrue but this rear entrance was once the main entrance of the hotel until a swimming pool necessitated a change. Charles Allen and Sharda Dwivedi’s book on the Taj Hotel is filled with the hotel’s quaint stories.

Opposite the hotel are various landmarks; the Mitter Bedi Studio is a meeting point for many and its red façade is hard to miss. Further down at Sunny House is Galerie Mirchandani + Steinrucke. Housed in a refurbished first floor apartment, its many-roomed interiors are an interesting mix of art genres. Along the colonnaded footpath are shops selling carpets and artefacts, as well as home stores like Apartment 9 which stock custom-made interior décor and furniture, and a recently opened Rohit Bal designer store.

Walk around the corner onto Mandlik Road, to the original pioneer in boutique restaurants, Indigo, for a quick bite, or Asian eatery Busaba for a bowl of kaukswe, then head further south on Merewether Road.

At the junction with BEST road, sits the Hotel Diplomat, a 3 star hotel that despite it’s superb location gets mixed reviews. On the opposite side of the street indulge in some retail satisfaction – be warned, this will dent the pocket. There’s Bombay Electric, the Priya Kishore store that reflects her personal style – funky, fresh and unique. Hop over to Ahmed Joo for its vintage Indian jewellery.

The second half of the road is quieter, more residential.

It’s a leafy interlude, the side streets provide languorous glimpses of a harbour on one side and the chaotic pavements merging onto the Colaba Causeway on the other.

The Salvation Army occupies an entire building. Along a side street, Allana Street is where prayers overwhelm roads on Fridays.

Past a garden further along the street we approach the southern end of Merewether Road. The nearby Garden Hotel is on a quiet side street. Its roof top bar offers nice evening views of the neighbourhood. Now walk a little further onto Arthur Bunder Road that intersects at the end, and browse a while in four contemporary art galleries that are on this street.

Colaba, one of the oldest islands of Mumbai, has a dynamic street shop culture, and is flooded with multi cuisine restaurants lining the Causeway, a long stretch connecting Colaba with Old Woman’s Island.

The street opens with the signature Café Mondegar, famous for its beer, jukebox, Goan murals and continental food, and along the way, you’ll find the historic Leopold Café running since 1871, Piccadilly, a quaint Iranian restaurant, Theobroma, a picturesque bakery known for its home-made flavours, and much more.

A walker’s paradise, exploring the many streets of Colaba will take a major portion of the day, but at the end of it, you would have found a little something to please all of your senses.